The interdisciplinary graduate program “Topology of Technology” at the TU Darmstadt, one of Germany’s leading Universities of Technology (near Frankfurt), announces up to six doctoral fellowships, starting April 1, 2013, and running for a maximum of 3 years. Furthermore the graduate program announces one postdoc fellowship (2 years) and three visiting fellowships (for a three-month period in 2013).

The program is organized by professors from the disciplines of history, sociology, philosophy, mechanical engineering, computer science, sports science, and planning. It focuses on the relationship between technology and space – at present, in history, and in a possible future.

One of the doctoral fellowships or the postdoctoral fellowship focuses on the field of spatial and infrastructure planning. Potential applicants in this field are expected to do research on the co-evolution of cities and socio-technical systems (energy, water, sanitation, waste, telecommunication, transport) and their sustainable planning and design in an international perspective. For the doctoral fellowship critical studies on the constitution of “smart cities” or “smart energy cities” are of particular interest. Relevant questions include:

Which are their underlying conceptual assumptions and contradictions of smart spaces?

How are “smart cities” organized in different spatial and institutional contexts?

Which are the socio-technical, socio-spatial and ecological impacts of this restructuring of cities and infrastructures?

How does the transition towards “smart places” shape the political and economic power relations in cities?

Which institutional and technological innovations are required and which are the challenges for urban policy and planning?

The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) is now
accepting applications for the 2013 Fulbright German Studies Seminar http://www.cies.org/gss/. The topic is “Berlin: Where Cultures Meet and Challenges Abound” and the application deadline is October 15, 2012.

Eligible candidates are scholars and professionals from U.S. universities, colleges, and community colleges who hold a Ph.D., or equivalent professional degree, and perform their teaching and research within the broader context of German and European Studies. Candidates must demonstrate substantial professional accomplishments and recognized professional standing. Candidates with full-time teaching appointments are preferred, but adjunct faculty are welcome
to apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

The seminar will be held in English and will take place June 10 – 19, 2013. More information about this award can be found online atwww.cies.org/GSS/

Please contact Tanya Janes, Senior Program Officer, at tjanes@iie.org or (202) 686-6258 or Anna
Valiante, Program Coordinator, at avaliante@iie.org or (202) 686-4026 with any questions.

Anna Valiante
Institute of International Education
Council for International Exchange of Scholars

GIStorical Antwerp is a challenging research project funded by the Flemish Hercules Foundation (Medium-size research infrastructure) and the University of Antwerp. It aims to design a GIS (Geographical Information Systems)-environment and micro-level data tool for the historical analysis of urban societies and environments, taking the city of Antwerp as an example, and using space to integrate a wide variety of historical geo-data (ranging from census and cadastral data, to building permits, archeological excavation reports, crime statistics, building permits, urban iconography etc.) at the level of the individual house
and household. For the inner city of Antwerp — one of the major commercial centers of the Low Countries since the later Middle Ages – a GIS-framework will be created that allows to integrate and analyse these data, and map their spatial and chronological development. In a first phase, the project will be emphasizing on 18th and 19th century Antwerp, but follow-up projects will be developed that aim to expand its chronological range from the medieval period until the 20th century, as well to transfer the system to test-cases outside Antwerp as well. Together with the team of the UA-Centre for Urban History and the City of Antwerp, and the supervisors of the project Bruno Blondé, Tim Soens and Tim Bisschops, the PhD-student will not only be developing the GIS-environment and data-sets, but also test its functionality through a PhD-project on the environmental and/or spatial history of Antwerp in the ‘long’ 19th century.

Profile
You are:
– EITHER a Master, Licentiate (or equivalent) in History with a profound research interest in large-scale datasets, and willing to become an expert in historical GIS.
– OR a Master, Licentiate (or equivalent) in Geography, Archeology, Urban Planning or other relevant disciplines in Humanities, Social or Natural Sciences, with a profound research interest in (urban) history.
– Passionate about old maps and the history of cartography.
– Both an independent worker and a teamplayer
– Qualified to obtain a Belgian PhD doctoral grant (not having received a Belgian doctoral grant before and not having worked as a scientific collaborator or assistant at the University of Antwerp longer than 1 year).

Candidates who will obtain a Master’s degree at the end of the present academic year may apply.

Tasks:
– designing, developing and expanding the GIStorical Antwerp infrastructure (in close collaboration with the other members of the project team)
– input and analysis of large datasets on 18th and 19th century Antwerp (e.g. maps, census data, tax lists, iconographic data etc.)
– preparing a PhD on the environmental and/or spatial history of Antwerp in the ‘long’ 19th century

We offer:
– A Four-year PhD-doctoral Grant (2012-2016)
– an attractive and highly stimulating research environment.
– A highly competitive financial remuneration scheme (doctoral grant about 1800-1900 € per month net (tax-exempt).
– The opportunity to develop highly divergent and multifunctional research skills, including GIS, data analysis, iconographic analysis.
– The opportunity to embark on a longer-term research project, as the explicit aim of the research team is to continue the development and extension of the infrastructure by applying for additional research funding beyond 2016.

How to apply?
Send a cover letter, your CV, and a copy of your undergraduate and Master’s degrees before August 20, 2012 to tim.soens@ua.ac.be (e-mail).
Interviews will be organised in the second half of August. The PhD fellowship will normally start on October 1, 2012.http://www.ua.ac.be/main.aspx?c=.CSG&n=104663&ct=104663&e=301678

The interdisciplinary graduate program “Topology of Technology” at the Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany, announces 11 doctoral fellowships, starting Oct. 1, 2012, and running for a maximum of 3 years.

The program is organized by teachers from the subjects of history, sociology, philosophy, mechanical engineering, computer science, sports science, and the planning sciences. It focuses on the relationship between technology and space – at present, in history, and in a possible future. It has four thematic foci:

– The Persistence and Routinization of Daily Life in Technical Surroundings
– The Formation and Limitations of Action in Spatial-Technological Settings
– The Planning and Design of Technologies in a Spatial Context
– The Modeling and Simulation of Spatial Relations by Technological Means

The program (GRK 1343) is primarily financed by the German Research Council (DFG); see: http://www.dfg.de

The Research Center for Urban Cultural History (RCUCH) at the University of Massachusetts Boston is offering a 3-4 week short-term visiting fellowship for Spring 2013. The RCUCH Flaherty Visiting Fellow will pursue a research project pertaining to urban cultural history; the project must be interdisciplinary, and be focused on the cultural history of cities, urban life, urban networks, urban materials or urban experience. We define urban cultural history broadly; projects treating pre-urban sites as well as contemporary situations fall within the fellowship’s parameters. During the fellowship period the Fellow is required to offer a Faculty Lecture for the RCUCH on work-in-progress related to the research project, and to provide a talk for a graduate seminar or student group where this can be arranged; other than these lectures, and the research project itself, the Fellow will also have numerous opportunities to attend on-campus lectures and symposia, and to take advantage of lectures, exhibits, and other events in Boston and its environs, The RCUCH invites applications, giving preference to scholars at associate professor rank or above.Continue reading FUNDING: Visiting Fellowship Announcement Research Center for Urban Cultural History. Boston, USA. Deadline: 1.9.2012

The Anglo-Danish Society invites applications from research students of British or Danish nationality for scholarships facilitating periods of research in the UK or Denmark. ADS particularly encourages applications from UK students wishing to conduct research in Denmark.
For the academic year 2012-13, there are two targeted scholarships: The Ove Arup Foundation award of £2000, for research students working on a subject relevant to the Built Environment, and a one-off special award of £2000 for students working on Design (broadly conceived), thanks to the generous legacy of the late Torben Skjalm Petersen.
More information on the scholarships and the application process can be found at:
http://www.anglo-danishsociety.org.uk/artman/publish/scholarships.shtml. Closing date for the return of completed applications is 1st March 2012.

“Sustainable development” came to the fore of public attention in 1987 with the report of the Brundlandt Commission but it has had a longer history. The aim of this PhD studentship is to advance our understanding of the dynamics of sustainable consumption in the past to shed fresh light on the present.
The project will make a contribution to the SCI research strand on Sustainable Consumer Behaviours and Lifestyles by developing a historical case study. The following research areas are indicative but not meant to be exclusive. We particularly invite project applications that speak to one of the following problems:Continue reading PhD Studentship: Understanding the historical dynamics of sustainable consumption

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Postgraduate research awards
Grants of between £500 and £6,000 for research and fieldwork carried out by PhD researchers undertaking academic dissertations. The project should aim to develop geographical knowledge and understanding.
1. Slawson Awards: Awards of up to £3,000 for geographical field research on issues related to development.
Deadline: 24 February 2011. W: www.rgs.org/slaw
2. Frederick Soddy Award: Awards of up £6,000 for fieldwork/research on ‘the study of the social, economic, and cultural life of a region’.
Deadline: 24 February 2011. W: www.rgs.org/fsa
3. Dudley Stamp Memorial Awards: Grants of up to £500 for research or study travel.
Deadline: 24 February 2011. W: www.rgs.org/dsma

Early career Researcher awards
Grants of between £250 and £3,000 for researchers in the early stages of their careers, carrying out academic research in the pursuit of geographical knowledge and understanding. Deadlines for these awards fall in January and February 2012.
1. 30th International Geographical Congress Awards: Grants of up to £750 for international conference attendance.
Deadline: 24 February 2011. W: www.rgs.org/30igc
2. Dudley Stamp Memorial Awards: Grants of up to £500 for research or study travel.
Deadline: 24 February 2011. W: www.rgs.org/dsma

Senior Researcher awards
Grants for experienced researchers, carrying out research for the development of geographical knowledge and understanding. The Gilchrist Award deadline is 24 February 2012. Other Senior Researcher Award deadlines will fall in November 2013.
1. Gilchrist Award: An award of £15,000 to support original and challenging overseas fieldwork carried out by small teams of university academics and researchers.
Deadline: 24 February 2012. W: www.rgs.org/gilch

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The Urban History Association (UHA), in partnership with _Journal of
Urban History_, is pleased to announce the inaugural Sage Graduate
Student Paper Prize. The prize committee seeks submissions (not to
exceed 25 pages, including notes) from full-time students on all
aspects of urban, suburban and metropolitan history. Eligibility is
restricted to papers accepted for presentation at the Sixth Biennial
UHA Conference, October 25-28, 2012, in New York City. Entries must
approximate the actual conference papers. The author of the winning
paper will receive (1) recognition and a cash award of $150, which
will be presented during the conference; and (2) an invitation to
submit the award-winning manuscript to _Journal of Urban History_ for
review for publication. Submissions should be emailed via electronic
pdf to each of the following prize committee members by SEPTEMBER 10,
2012:

Jessica Elfenbein
University of South Carolina
jessicae@mailbox.sc.edu

Carola Hein
Bryn Mawr College
chein@brynmawr.edu

Clarence Lang
The University of Kansas
celang@ku.edu

Victoria Wolcott
The State University of New York at Buffalo
vwwolcot@buffalo.edu

Electronic submissions should be accompanied by a one-page CV;
evidence of student status; and a cover sheet listing name, mailing
address, telephone number, email address, institutional affiliation,
and name of faculty advisor.